The present invention relates to an attachable hand guard device. The device covers regions of the hand and certain digits which are useful for protecting health service providers, e.g., nurses, respiratory therapists and other health care workers from injury or infection caused by accidental self-inflicted hand punctures or cuts from sharp implements (xe2x80x9csharpsxe2x80x9d) like hypodermic needles, lances, scalpels and the like. More particularly, an assembly comprising a metacarpal guard wrap is flexibly linked to two or more digit guards that are retained to the digits when the guard is donned, and cover susceptible areas on the back and sides of the wearer""s thumb, index finger, middle finger and thenar web space to reduce the risk of injury or infection from accidental wounding by sharps sticks. It is expected that a significant percentage of health service providers that will use the invented Protective Hand Guard will be respiratory therapists. However, it is believed that the invented Protective Hand Guard will be useful to any health service provider seeking to avoid and minimize the danger of injury or infection caused by accidental self-inflicted hand punctures or cuts from sharp implements (xe2x80x9csharpsxe2x80x9d) like hypodermic needles, lances, scalpels and the like.
Injuries from sharp implements such as syringe needles are particularly dangerous to health and medical personnel who run the risk of exposure to disease. Avoidance of contracting communicable diseases such as hepatitis-B, and AIDS is a special concern to medical personnel treating patients afflicted with these diseases. Each of these diseases can be communicated to medical personnel as a result of an accidental injury when handling a contaminated needle, for instance, which has been used to take blood samples or administer intravenous liquids to a patient.
Typically, an intravenous therapy service, such as a respiratory therapist provider, must locate a suitable blood vessel in a patient""s limb, normally the arm, by palpating the body part. This requires maximum tactility at the fingerprint area of the index and middle fingers of the nurse in order to locate a suitable blood vessel. Upon location of the blood vessel, the nurse inserts a hypodermic needle through the skin into the vessel to inject a fluid or withdraw the patient""s blood which, in either case, contaminates the needle. Once the procedure is complete, the needle is generally re-sheathed and discarded. Portions of the sensing hand are particularly vulnerable. The metacarpal region, thenar web space, thumb and first and/or second fingers are high-risk areas of the hand which are protected by the several embodiments of the present invention.
A myriad of devices adapted to shield the sensing hand opposite the hand carrying the sharp implement have been taught. U.S. Pat. No 5,070,543 (""543 patentxe2x80x9d) for example, discloses the application of one or more impervious shields which are selected and adhered on the surface of a donned surgical glove. The adhesively affixed shields are shaped for example, to cover the palm, the index and/or the third finger of the left (or sensing) hand. The shields can be selected by the practitioner for a particular procedure and the location of the shields would vary according to the ""543 patent""s invention. The shields affixed to a disposable surgical glove would be selected and affixed to the glove prior to the procedure involving a sharp. It would be desirable to provide a simpler and faster mode of donning and removing a disposable shield apparatus with or without usage of a surgical glove. It would be desirable to provide a hand guard device which resists puncture or through-cuts, but allows for normal articulation of the sensing hand, and original tactile sensitivity, and which is easily donned, and inexpensive to provide disposability upon a single use.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved hand guards and methods for making a hand guards which may be used by medical personnel when handling sharps.
The present invention provides a hand guard for use by health service providers to protect a sensing hand from accidental injuries when handling sharp implements in the other hand. The sensing hand guard comprises a minimum of three guards, including a metacarpal guard that covers the metacarpal region up to the wrist and over the first knuckles and partially or completely wraps around the thenar web and palm area; and index and middle finger guard(s) which are elongated cup-shaped, hemispherical films covering a portion or all of the dorsal and lateral sides of the fingers, and extending along each digit to cover one, two or preferably all of the phalanges. Additionally, a guard may also protect the thumb. The ventral sides of the thumb and fingers are not covered by the respective guards, except for the fasteners and are exposed for preserving tactile sensation or sensitivity of the wearers skin for direct contact with the patients skin.
Therefore in accordance with a basic aspect of the invention there is provided a hand guard for protect a sensing hand which comprises three nonporous foils. The first foil is a metacarpal guard shaped to cover the metacarpals and wrap around to cover a portion of the palm and thenar web space and having a fastener to fasten the first foil to itself. The index finger guard is shaped as an elongated, hemispherical, cupped foil with contours to fit in overlying position for covering the dorsal and lateral portions of the index finger extending over a portion of the phalanges of the index finger. The second digit guard is a finger guard shaped as an elongated, hemispherical, cupped foil with contours to fit in overlying position and covering the dorsal and lateral portions of a finger over a portion of three phalanges of the finger, wherein each of said digit guards are connected to said metacarpal guard by a flexible linkage, providing partial rotation and translation of the digit guards. Each digit guard linkage is affixed at the proximal ends of each digit guard and bridging space and affixed at the distal end of the metacarpal guard. The digit guards are aligned with the projection of the thumb and index finger. The digit guards each provide a digit fastener to retain the digit guard in close proximity to the dorsal side of the finger. The digit fasteners or digit retainers will yield to the digits for insertion and removal, or have one fastening end that can be released or fastened when donning and doffing the guard. Each digit guard allows direct skin contact with substantially all of the ventral side of the digits, especially at the distal pads of the last phalange of each digit.
In a preferred embodiment there is provided in accordance with the invention a hand guard comprising a metatarsal guard in flexible linkage with at least two digit guards, comprising an index finger guard and a middle finger guard. The digit guards are elongate, approximately hemispherical, cupped shields that cover a portion of or both phalanges on the dorsal side of one, two or three of the phalanges of the first, also referred to as the xe2x80x9cindex finger,xe2x80x9d and the second, also referred to as the xe2x80x9cmiddle,xe2x80x9d finger and include digit retainers or fasteners to urge and retain the digits against the underside of the cupped-shaped guards. The fasteners are located typically over the interphalange joint, such as at the joint between the first and second, or between the second and third phalanges of the fingers, and in the thumb, between the first and second phalange. Digit retainers located at the joints are preferred so as to allow the intervening digit pads to be unobstructed for maximal sensing.
In the most preferred embodiment, the metacarpal guard wraps around an area covering the metacarpals up to the wrist, and is fastened to itself at its lateral ends, wrapping around the axis of the hand. The metacarpal guard is linked to each of separate thumb, first and second finger guards by a flexible linkage, such as by bands, monofilaments, adhesion or fusion bonded (heat sealed) strips or tapes, push-tab or slot-tab containing straps, interconnecting narrow regions of an integral single piece, or a strap that is integrally molded at one end and contains a free end thus contains any fastener, such as push-tab, slot-tab, adhesive, loop pad for a hook and loop, an affixed snap for use with a snap pair, a and the like, allowing free hand articulation. The thumb and first finger guards provide the selected fastener for strapping the guard to the digits at a selected point along the length of the digits, and preferably are located over the first thumb phalange, and over the second finger phalanges. Not all fasteners may be of the same type for each digit guard.
The flexible linkage between the metacarpal guard and digit guards enables selection of a wide variety of materials for the guard components, and provides spacing or overlapping of the digit guards with the metatarsal guard for comforming to varying size of wearers hand for free articulation of the thumb and finger(s) in the normal range of grasping and finger motion used in holding and sensing the body of the patient.
In a specific aspect of one embodiment, the metacarpal guard is linked to the thumb and finger guard(s) with a strap, fastened at distal points on the metacarpal guard, and at proximal points of the thumb and finger guards.
In another embodiment, the metacarpal guard is integrally linked with the thumb and finger guards by extensions from the distal portion of the metacarpal guard, the extensions being aligned with each digit, and providing linking via a thin and/or narrowed strand portions bridging the knuckles of the thumb and fingers to the digit guards. By integral linkage, it is meant permanent linkage of the parts, molded-in, made during fabrication such as by fusion bonding, heat sealing, and the like and not intended to be removable like with snap-fit or slot-tab fasteners. Integral linking members integral at with the digit guard (as in a protrusion) or integral with the digit and metacarpal guard can readily be formed with the guard in a single injection shot.
In yet another embodiment, the metacarpal guard is linked to the thumb guard by a flexible linking member and the one or more finger guards are not linked to the metacarpal guard, but removably attached to the finger(s) by any of the straps, tapes, integral push- or slot-tabs, and the like.
When donning the apparatus by the various attachment systems the metacarpal guard is wrapped around the hand and fastened to itself, the thumb guard is affixed to the thumb and the one or more finger guards are affixed to these digits using one of the selected attachment systems. Among the several types of economical systems for attaching the hand guard at the hand, thumb and fingers there is including but not limited to the foregoing exemplary attachment systems and adhesive tape, direct skin-contacting adhesive affixed to the under or skin-contact side of the guards, attached hook and loop strips or tape, affixed tab-insert loop, integral tab-insert loop, affixed slot-insert tabs, integral slot insert tabs, riveted strap, adhesively affixed tape, heat-sealed or fused tape or strapping, snap-engaging strap, and the other attachment systems which are equally functional and obvious from the foregoing for retaining the guards to the respective anatomical features involved.
In yet another embodiment, the metacarpal guard is linked to the index finger guard but not the thumb guard, and the thumb guard is removably affixed to the thumb such as by any of the aforementioned digit fastening systems. In a specific such embodiment, different fastener systems are employed as for the metacarpal guard and digit guards. In one example, the metacarpal guard is fastened by hook and loop strip being joined on the ventral side, and the digit guards are attached to the digits by way of direct skin-adhering adhesive which is affixed to the underside surface of each digit guard. The adhesive is revealed at the time of donning the guard by way of peeling off of release layers, such as silicone release paper.
These and other embodiments will be more fully appreciated from the description below.